EWEA President to become CEO of Greece’s biggest power company

Professor Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), is to be appointed President and CEO of Greece’s Public Power Corp (PPC), the country’s biggest power company.

Tina Birbili, Greek energy minister, said that Zervos' appointment will, “reflect the ministry’s new political directions”, to raise renewable energy output. The government plans to produce 20% of its energy from green sources by 2020, up from the current level of 3%.

Christian Kjaer, chief executive of EWEA, said that Prime Minister Geórgios Papandréou has made the perfect choice in light of the new government’s stated ambition to green the Greek economy. “It will be a significant challenge to turn PPC into a European leader in wind energy and other renewables. Prime Minister Papandréou could not have found a better person for the job.”

Greece currently relies heavily on lignite, one of the most heavily polluting coal types, for its electricity.

Zervos has a long-established reputation in the renewables field acting as policy advisor to governments and commissioners. He was the lead author of the European Commission Communication on renewable sources of energy in 1997, which led to the adoption of Europe’s first ever Renewable Energy Directive in 2001 - the most powerful piece of renewable energy legislation in the world at the time.

EWEA is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting wind power in Europe and worldwide. It has over 600 members, which are active in over 50 countries, making EWEA the world's largest and most powerful wind energy network.